KIA has released more pictures and details of its new XCeed, described as a sporty alternative to traditional SUVs and due on sale here later this year.

The Kia XCeed urban crossover will be manufactured in Slovakia alongside the Ceed five-door hatchback, Ceed Sportswagon, and ProCeed five-door shooting brake.

This newest member of the Ceed model family will be sold as standard with Kia's seven year, 100,000-mile warranty. Precise UK on-sale date, specification and pricing will be confirmed in due course.

The only body panels carried over from its five-door hatchback sibling are the front doors, says Kia.

While the wheelbase remains the same as other models in the Ceed line-up (2,650mm), the Kia XCeed's front and rear overhangs are extended over the five-door hatchback model and the body is 26 mm wider than the Ceed five-door.

The new model will be offered in a choice of up to 12 paint finishes, with a new Quantum Yellow special to the XCeed.

Inside, the Kia XCeed carries over the cabin of its Ceed stablemates but unique to the XCeed is a new yellow colour pack for the interior, with black upholstery contrasted with vibrant yellow stitching for seats and doors, yellow seat piping, and a blend of gloss black and metallic yellow highlights throughout the cabin.

Sitting directly between the Ceed five-door hatchback and the Kia Sportage, the new XCeed still manages to provide comparable interior space and luggage capacity to Europe's best-selling SUVs, insists its maker.

With the car's longer rear overhang creating a longer boot, luggage capacity for the Kia XCeed is rated at 426 litres (VDA), 31 litres more than the Ceed and only slightly less than the best-selling compact SUV in Europe. With the rear seats folded down, luggage capacity grows to 1,378 litres.

The Kia XCeed is among the first vehicles in Europe to offer the brand's UVO Connect telematics system that links drivers to the world around by providing information via the in-car touchscreen and on their smartphone.

Featuring Kia Live services and housed with an optional 10.25-inch TFT LCD widescreen, the system uses its own eSIM card to retrieve and update live data during a drive.

This includes live traffic information, weather forecasts, points of interest, and details of potential on- and off-street parking (including price, location and parking availability).

The second element of the UVO Connect diagnostic data about owners' cars and the trips they take, enables drivers to send route directions to their car before a journey, and enables them to check the location of their vehicle at any time.

Power comes from a range of turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. As with other Kia models, low-emissions electrified powertrains, including 48V mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, will be launched into the Kia XCeed range later in early 2020.